Charity sent me a beautiful book called Conscious Cuisine by Chef Cary Neff. This is a great book that proves once again that healthy does not mean boring. Here are a couple of recipes that I've tried already...
Black Bean Griddle Cakes
1/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cup cooked black beans,drained
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
2 large egg whites
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp minced fresh oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cornmeal for coating
Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 3/4 cup beans, onion, garlic, and corn. Cook until the onion has softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a food processor, process the remaining 1 cup of beans until smooth. Add the egg whites, cilantro, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Mix the pureed beans with the sauteed beans. Using 1/4 cup at a time, form into patties and coat with cornmeal. Heat griddle over medium high heat and coat with olive oil spray. Brown cakes on both sides about 2 minutes per side.
Baked Falafel
1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 small garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
cucumer sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup seeded and finely chopped tomato
3/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat baking pan with cooking spray. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except parsley and flour and process until a smooth dough is formed. Add parsley and flour and pulse a few times to mix.
Scoop out by tbsp's and form 20 small cakes. Place on baking sheet and coat top with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes. Turn over and bake 5 minutes.
For sauce, combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour before serving with the falafel.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Tomato Pesto Tart
I love this tart! However, I have encountered the same problem each time I've made it: I've only made this with garden tomatoes (I HATE store bought tomatoes) which seem to be alot juicier (more jucy?) than the store variety. I've tried salting the slices and letting them drain on paper towels before using them, but it didn't really help. I still end up with a wet tart. Wet or not it's still taste amazing. Be forewarned that it does not store well or reheat well as you will end up with a soggy crust.
1 refrigerator pie pastry (make your own if you dare)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
5 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (please don't use the green can)
2 tbsp basil pesto (recipe below)
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Unfold pastry on a lightly greased pizza pan. Roll into a 12" cirecle. Brush outer edge with water. Fold edge and crimp. Prick bottom with fork. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce temperature to 375.
Sprinkle crust with half the mozzarella. Let stand 15 minutes until cool. Arrange tomatoes over cheese. Combine remaining mozzarella, mayonnaise, parmesan, 2 tbsp pesto and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Spread over tomato slices. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with basil.
Basil Pesto
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend on medium speed about 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides, until smooth.
1 refrigerator pie pastry (make your own if you dare)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
5 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (please don't use the green can)
2 tbsp basil pesto (recipe below)
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Unfold pastry on a lightly greased pizza pan. Roll into a 12" cirecle. Brush outer edge with water. Fold edge and crimp. Prick bottom with fork. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce temperature to 375.
Sprinkle crust with half the mozzarella. Let stand 15 minutes until cool. Arrange tomatoes over cheese. Combine remaining mozzarella, mayonnaise, parmesan, 2 tbsp pesto and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Spread over tomato slices. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with basil.
Basil Pesto
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend on medium speed about 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides, until smooth.
Bonefish Grill
If your in the Lexington, Ky area give this restaurant a try. The Bang Bang shrimp is indescribably good. Check out the menu at the link above (just click on the post title).
Lemon Zucchini Bread
It's bakesale time at work. The proverbial thorn in my oven mitt. This time I'm going to give this quick bread a shot. I'll be making this either tonight or tomorrow, so I'll update when it's ready.
Update: Let it be know on this day Tuesday February 12,2008 my official declaration of non-baking. I am hanging up my oven mitts. I'm cursed by the angry Hindu baking gods. I tried this recipe and the result was one loaf that was so overcooked it crumbled when I tried to cut it and another one that was burnt on the edges and raw in the middle. I am not a baker. I don't even like it. So I'm not doing it anymore. I will not bake again!!!!
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp lemon zest
Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 4 " loaf pan. Beat together zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil. In separate bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Update: Let it be know on this day Tuesday February 12,2008 my official declaration of non-baking. I am hanging up my oven mitts. I'm cursed by the angry Hindu baking gods. I tried this recipe and the result was one loaf that was so overcooked it crumbled when I tried to cut it and another one that was burnt on the edges and raw in the middle. I am not a baker. I don't even like it. So I'm not doing it anymore. I will not bake again!!!!
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp lemon zest
Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 4 " loaf pan. Beat together zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil. In separate bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tilapia with Lemon Peppercorn Pan Sauce
Okay, I confess. I haven't tried this one yet, but I plan to within the next couple of days. I wanted to go ahead and post it while I had the time. I rarely have any free time during the week. This recipe is really similar to the Chicken Breast with Lemon and Capers with the obvious switch of capers to peppercorns. Of the two, I think I prefer capers, but I'm all for experimentation, so I'll let you know how it turns out. That is if I can find the peppercorns in our grocery stores.
Update: In a shocking turn of events (please insert your own sarcastic tone here) I was unable to locate peppercorns in any grocery store in this county. I made it with capers. It was good. But not any different than the chicken breast with lemon and capers.
Ingredients
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons drained brine-packed green peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons butter
Lemon wedges (optional)
Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients.
Melt 1 teaspoon of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.
While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.
Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown. Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes).
Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk. Serve sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
Yield2 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 2 tablespoons sauce)
Update: In a shocking turn of events (please insert your own sarcastic tone here) I was unable to locate peppercorns in any grocery store in this county. I made it with capers. It was good. But not any different than the chicken breast with lemon and capers.
Ingredients
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons drained brine-packed green peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons butter
Lemon wedges (optional)
Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients.
Melt 1 teaspoon of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.
While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.
Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown. Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes).
Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk. Serve sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
Yield2 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 2 tablespoons sauce)
Friday, February 8, 2008
Curried Pumpkin Soup
The best of two worlds: pumpkin and curry. This soup is so easy. I always use more curry and have never used milk.
1 tbsp soft butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 minced garlic clove
2 (14.5) cans vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper
1 cup (8 oz) silken tofu
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
about 1 cup plain soy milk
2 tsp curry powder
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, salt and pepper, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until vegetable are tender, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a food processor leaving broth in pan.
Add tofu to food processor and pulse until vegetables are finely chopped and tofu is smooth. Add pumpkin and process until combined.
Add pumpkin mixture, milk, andcurry to broth in saucepan and heat until hot, adding more milk if soup is too thick.
1 tbsp soft butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 minced garlic clove
2 (14.5) cans vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper
1 cup (8 oz) silken tofu
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
about 1 cup plain soy milk
2 tsp curry powder
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, salt and pepper, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until vegetable are tender, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a food processor leaving broth in pan.
Add tofu to food processor and pulse until vegetables are finely chopped and tofu is smooth. Add pumpkin and process until combined.
Add pumpkin mixture, milk, andcurry to broth in saucepan and heat until hot, adding more milk if soup is too thick.
Testing
With all the craziness going on lately I've only had a chance to try two of the recipes others have submitted. I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with the limited availability of food items in this area. I tried the olive crusted veal. I used chicken because I couldn't find veal. And I had to leave out the rosemary because I couldn't find it either. It was still a very good dish. I'm sure I will make it again soon.
More recently I tried Doug's Enchiladas - sort of. With very limited time I made some shortcuts that turned out to be a bad idea. I wanted to try the meat, so I thought I would skip the enchiladas and shoot for soft tacos. I was a bit overwhelmed in the meat aisle since I know very little about it. I would have had to buy 8 lbs of the pork when I only needed 1.5 so I opted for some cubes of pork from unknown body parts. Bad idea. It was dry and had little taste. So, nothing negative about the recipe. I will try it again when I have more time to devote to it. Sometimes shortcuts just don't pan out. I was also thinking of trying it with chicken. I'll let you know how the next round goes. To be honest I'm out of my comfort zone when cooking and buying meat.
More recently I tried Doug's Enchiladas - sort of. With very limited time I made some shortcuts that turned out to be a bad idea. I wanted to try the meat, so I thought I would skip the enchiladas and shoot for soft tacos. I was a bit overwhelmed in the meat aisle since I know very little about it. I would have had to buy 8 lbs of the pork when I only needed 1.5 so I opted for some cubes of pork from unknown body parts. Bad idea. It was dry and had little taste. So, nothing negative about the recipe. I will try it again when I have more time to devote to it. Sometimes shortcuts just don't pan out. I was also thinking of trying it with chicken. I'll let you know how the next round goes. To be honest I'm out of my comfort zone when cooking and buying meat.
Pad Thai
Charity may have to help me out with my memory here, but I believe this dish was made for us by an exchange student from Thailand. I think we left out the tofu, but don't hold me to that. Squeeze on a little fresh lime juice before eating. It will make your taste buds dance.
Pad Thai
7 oz rice noodles
1/4 cup tamarind juice
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
shrimp
2 oz tofu, cubed
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
cilantro
lime wedges
Soak rice noodles in cold water at least one hour. Drain. In a separate bowl combind tamarind juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and paprika. Set aside.
Heat oil in wok, add garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add shrimp, tofu, and egg. Stir fry 1 minute until egg is scrambled. Add rice noodles and tamarind mixture. Stir fry all ingredients until well cooked and combined. Add bean sprouts, sprinkle with peanuts and top with cilantro and lime.
Pad Thai
7 oz rice noodles
1/4 cup tamarind juice
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
shrimp
2 oz tofu, cubed
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
cilantro
lime wedges
Soak rice noodles in cold water at least one hour. Drain. In a separate bowl combind tamarind juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and paprika. Set aside.
Heat oil in wok, add garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add shrimp, tofu, and egg. Stir fry 1 minute until egg is scrambled. Add rice noodles and tamarind mixture. Stir fry all ingredients until well cooked and combined. Add bean sprouts, sprinkle with peanuts and top with cilantro and lime.
Garlic Lime Drumettes with Chipotle Mayonaise
I hate trends, but sometimes foods become trendy for a reason. I think chipotle peppers (smoked jalapenos) fall into that category. They're conveniently packaged, easy to use, and taste great. You can even buy ground chipotles, though I prefer the canned version in adobo sauce. Let me go on record here as saying "I HATE MAYONAISE". Blech. However, in this chipotle dipping sauce the mayo can't be detected. Which now makes me wonder why I haven't just lft it out?
Chicken
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp grated lime peel
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp toasted crushed cumin
1/2 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
24 drumettes
Place garlic, grated lime peel, salt, oregano, cumin, lime juice, and oil in a nonreactive shallow pan. Add chicken, turn to coat. Cover and refridgerate for at least 2 hours, but no more than 4 hours.
Heat grill, discard marinade. Grill or broil 12-14 minutes. Serve with chilled chipotle mayonaise.
Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped (I always use more)
1 tbsp adobo sauce
Stir together all ingredients. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
Chicken
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp grated lime peel
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp toasted crushed cumin
1/2 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
24 drumettes
Place garlic, grated lime peel, salt, oregano, cumin, lime juice, and oil in a nonreactive shallow pan. Add chicken, turn to coat. Cover and refridgerate for at least 2 hours, but no more than 4 hours.
Heat grill, discard marinade. Grill or broil 12-14 minutes. Serve with chilled chipotle mayonaise.
Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped (I always use more)
1 tbsp adobo sauce
Stir together all ingredients. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
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